From Old English (before 12th century), from Proto-Indo-European '*klewb-' ("to spring, stumble"), from PIE *klewb- ("to spring, stumble").
To jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force; to move quickly and suddenly.
From Old English 'hlēapan' (to leap, jump, run, dance), from Proto-Germanic '*hlaupaną' (to leap, run), from PIE root *klewb- or *klewp- (to spring, stumble). The Old English word had a broader meaning than the modern one — it included running and dancing, not just jumping. The same Germanic root produced
'Elope' literally means 'to leap away' — from Middle Dutch 'ontlopen' (to run away), from the same root as 'leap.' An 'interloper' was originally someone who 'leapt between' established traders to steal their business. Both words preserve the old Germanic sense of 'leap' as running rather than just